Colleen Acosta on Posse, winner of last year's USHJA Hunter Derby during the Colorado Summer Circuit. Photo credit: Horse and Ryder
Parker, CO — A thrilling summer at The Colorado Horse Park will be highlighted with nearly $1,000,000 in cash and prizes up for grabs during the inaugural edition of the expanded Colorado Summer Circuit, June 8-July 24, 2011. For 20 years this circuit has attracted some of the continent’s best hunter and jumper competitors, and this year it expands to six weeks.
Riders will find more than just bigger paychecks. Pat Boyle and Showplace Productions will offer exhibitors their trademarked five-star hospitality, while CHP is busy creating an exciting slate of new amenities. The Grand Prix ring is currently under construction and brand new footing is being installed. New jumps, new gardens, a competitor’s lounge and other facility improvements are just a few of the items receiving a makeover.
“This year riders will see a whole new Colorado Horse Park,” explains Brian Curry, General Manager of CHP. “We are working closely with Pat and his team to deliver a summer that every rider will remember.”
Peter Pletcher and NLF Shakespeare’s Rhythm won The Sanctuary High Performance Working Hunter division during the third week of the 2011 FTI Winter Equestrian Festival. (Photo courtesy of Sportfot)
Wellington, FL (February 3, 2011) – Professional rider Peter Pletcher has proven that he and NLF Shakespeare’s Rhythm are a winning team, as the duo has captured impressive hunter titles across the country. During the third week of the 2011 FTI Winter Equestrian Festival, Pletcher and NLF Shakespeare’s Rhythm, owned by Nordic Lights Farm and Elisabeth Bruheim, added another championship to their resume when they won The Sanctuary High Performance Working Hunter division.
The new USEF division, with fences ranging in height from 4’ to 4’6”, is sponsored at WEF by The Sanctuary at PBIEC. A new world-class full horse therapy and conditioning center located on the grounds of the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center (PBIEC), The Sanctuary at PBIEC features some of the most advanced conditioning and therapy equipment in the world. Pletcher and NLF Shakespeare’s Rhythm were awarded a gift certificate for services at the new world-class Wellington facility.
Pletcher and NLF Shakespeare’s Rhythm earned two firsts, two seconds and a third place ribbon in the High Performance Working Hunter division to ride away with the championship. Pletcher was thrilled with NLF Shakespeare’s Rhythm’s success in the new division and said the horse also excels at hunter derbies.
OCALA, FL (January 31, 2011) – The HITS Ocala Pre-Circuit came to an end on Sunday with another beautiful day in the sun, as top riders took home the victories in the two feature classes of the day. Grand Prix superstar Tracy Magness and Hunter veteran Betty Oare walked away with the top honors to close out the highly-successful Pre-Circuit at HITS Post Time Farm as now all eyes turn to the six-week, AA-rated circuit which begins on February 8.
Maryland’s Tracy Magness and her longtime sport partner Tarco Van Ter Moude, owned by Mr. and Mrs. John Bartko, won the $25,000 HITS Grand Prix, presented by Pfizer Animal Health, as they once again embark on the road to the Pfizer $1 Million Grand Prix.
“This was a great course for the Pre-Circuit,” commented Magness, who found her way back to the winner’s circle early. “It’s just the beginning of the season and the horses are getting back into the swing of things. I thought it was inviting and fair enough to set the pace for the winter.”
On behalf of the NFHJA I want to thank everyone for their support of the shows in Green Cove Springs this winter. Three great weeks of shows in the sunshine state. This week there were lots of meetings and plans are well underway for 2012 and we hope that you will mark your calendars to come back and for those who did not attend, we hope you will join the winter circuit.
I am packing to head to home to work on entries; the crew is packing and heading to Gulfport to set up. Closing date is Tuesday the 2nd and Jeff is waiting to hear from us on how many stalls to erect. If you are planning to attend, please call and make your stall and camper reservations. 843 768 5503 for information or reservations.
Fairfield, CT — In poker it’s called re-shuffling the deck, and when the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA) announced at the start of the 2010 semester that it had realigned its nine Zones to eight – changing the geography of its competitive regions and impacting coaching strategies – it promised to make the road to the 2011 IHSA National Championships, May 5-8, at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, an interesting one.
With Regional and Zone Championships, and Western Semi-Finals, still ahead for the 370-plus schools and more than 8,700 students competing this 2010-2011 season, a lot can happen between now and May. But with the close of the fall semester, team and individual performances are beginning to suggest where Nationals candidates might emerge.
Zone Hunter Seat Championships and Western Semi-Finals this spring represent the final step for qualifying IHSA teams and individuals. Each Region sends its top individual riders and one team to their respective Hunter Seat Zone Championship; at Zones, the top two individual riders and top two teams move on to Nationals.
SAUGERTIES, NY (January 28, 2011) — HITS, Inc. is pleased to announce that Luitpold Pharmaceuticals, Inc., manufacturers of Adequan (polysulfated glycosaminoglycan), the only FDA-approved disease modifying osteoarthritic drug treatment for equine non-infectious degenerative joint disease, will once again sponsor the popular Adequan Hunter Division at all HITS horse shows nationwide.
Luitpold Animal Health believes that the demands on show horses, particularly at the top performance level, require attention to details and a solid plan for maintaining soundness.
Adequan i.m. is the flagship equine product from Luitpold Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Unlike corticosteroids and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, which only ease the source of pain and decrease inflammation of the synovial membrane, Adequan i.m. breaks the destructive disease cycle associated with osteoarthritis. It helps to restore the natural cycle of “wear and repair” within a joint and blocks the enzymes that damage joints and restores synovial lubrication within the joint. The treatment regime of 1 intramuscular injection every 4 days for 7 treatments protects cartilage structure, inhibits cartilage damage and stimulates the natural cartilage repair process. It also decreases inflammation and relieves the pain associated with DJD.
Wildcard Berths for the Diamond Mills $500,000 Hunter Prix Final to Be Awarded to Champion Riders from Each of the Four Junior Hunter Sections
SAUGERTIES, NY (January 28, 2011) — HITS, Inc. is pleased to announce that the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) has selected HITS-on-the-Hudson to be the host site for the 2011 Junior Hunter National Championships – East Coast, marking the return of the event to HITS facility for the sixth time in the past seven years.
The 2011 USEF Junior Hunter Championships – East Coast will be held August 1-3, between HITS-on-the-Hudson V and VI, at the HITS-on-the-Hudson show grounds in Saugerties, New York. The Championships will feature competition for all four sections of Junior Hunters: Small Juniors 15 and Under, Large Juniors 15 and Under, Small Juniors 16-17 and Large Juniors 16-17. Also held during this competition is the popular and prestigious Hunterdon Cup, which offers an exciting equitation championship for junior riders. Equitation classes will kick things off with the USEF/Pessoa Hunter Seat Medal, the ASPCA Maclay Horsemanship Medal, and the WIHS Equitation Classic taking place the first day of competition.
Wellington, FL – January 27, 2011 – The third week of the FTI Winter Equestrian Festival, which runs through April 3, is into its second day of competition at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center. The Green Conformation Hunters awarded their championship today in the E. R. Mische Grand Hunter Ring.
The sun was shining today as the Green Conformation Hunter division awarded Scott Stewart of Flemington, NJ, top honors. Stewart was aboard his own entry Touchdown, a six-year-old Oldenburg gelding by Quattro B. Stewart rode to the tricolor among a starting field of eight entries.
Stewart was off to a great start on Wednesday, the first day of competition, when he and Touchdown won both over fences classes and placed fifth under saddle. The pair won another over fences class the second day of competition and was fifth in the remaining class of the division.
Jacksonville Winter III has a new schedule; it is available in the office and on the Classic Company and NFHJA website. Click here for the update: http://www.classiccompany.com/zdocs/jax_sch.pdf.
Gulf Coast Winter Circuit — Feb 9 – Mar 13, 2011
Had a great trip to Gulfport yesterday and the grounds are looking great for our event. Closing date is Tuesday February 1st. Make sure we have your stall and camper reservations soon. The tents are up for the stalls that have been ordered but to keep costs down this year, we are only putting up the number of stalls that are reserved. Call 843 768 5503 for information or reservations.
SAUGERTIES, NY (January 26, 2011) — HITS, Inc. is pleased to announce it will host the 2011 National PHA Medal Final on Saturday, September 17 at HITS-on-the-Hudson in Saugerties, New York as part of the Marshall & Sterling League National Finals. The joining of HITS and the National PHA Medal Finals is a perfect match since the HITS-on-the-Hudson venue is a show-jumping hub for the entire North East.
The Professional Horsemen’s Association of America, Inc., otherwise known as the PHA, is a self-contained benevolent organization and consists of 16 Chapters throughout the United States with over 900 Professional members. The PHA gives aid and sustenance to needy horsemen, and has a scholarship fund which provides financial assistance to further educate the children of professional members. The PHA also continues to promote and foster the care and protection of horses through education at the local, state and federal levels.
Originally, the National PHA Medal Class Champion was decided annually based on the number of points equitation riders accumulated throughout the year with awards going to the six highest scoring junior riders. Presentations were made at the National Horse Show at Madison Square Garden. Back in 1984, HITS’ own Francesca Mazella was the PHA Medal Champion, based on points won in PHA Medal classes throughout the year. Starting in 1995 the format was changed to a Medal Final, where the top 30 junior riders who accumulate the most points during the season compete in the National PHA Medal Final. The Final features a course of eight or more fences at 3’6” in height, with at least one combination including an oxer and two changes of lead after the first fence. The judge will insert two tests into the original course (USEF Tests 1-18). Further testing of the top riders is optional. The top eight placed finalists receive scholarship awards, in addition to their ribbons and trophies. In 2010, Emma Schauder of Greenwich, Connecticut was the winner of the National PHA Medal Final held at Old Salem Farm.
